Windmill



pril 26, 1932. J, J, BUCHSER 1,855,220

WINDMILL Filed Nov. '13, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet l April 26, 1932. J. J. BUCHSER WINDMILL Filed Nov. 15, 195o 3 sheets-sheet 2 QN KN. Q www re-n April 26, 1932. J. J. BUCHSER 1,855,220

WINDMILL Filed Nov. 13, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented pr. 26, 1932 lPATENT QFFIC JoHN J. BUCHSER; or PHOEBUS, VIRGINIA WINDMILL Applicationleafnovem'ber 13, 1930. seriai No. 495,323.

The present invention relates to windmills and particularly to the mounting of the Windmill vanes.v It is highly desirable to permit thewindmill to operate at all times and during all kinds of weather, but it has been found that withthe ordinary windmill construction a high wind tends `toleriert too great a twisting eifect on the vanes and the result 1s apt to be destruction of the windmill.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide means for automatically adjusting the 'angular position or 4pitch of the vanes upon an, increase or decrease in the wind pressure thereon.y vBy doing this one is ableto change the working area of the vanes which is presented to the wind and thereby reduce thetotal pressure exerted on the vanes so that. the turning effect of the wind on the vanes roma-ins substantially constant.

One manner of carrying out my invention is illustrated in my cof-pending application, Serial' No. 4885477, lil'ed- March 24th, 1930. My' `present invention has for its object the provisionofan improved mechanism for ani gularly adjusting the vanes.

Anotherfobject of4 this invention resides in theprovision of an improved governor mechanismfor the vanes so as to produce a substantially constant velocity for the shaft upon which the vanes are mounted. This is particularly desirable in view of the fact that I intend to connect the driving shaft at one end to the Vshaft which supports the vanes, and operatively connect the opposite end of the driving `shaft to a generator. Obviously,

if the generator is driven too `rapidly it may charge attoogreat a rate and this, of course, would not be desirable.

My invention .is applicable to windmills having any number of vanes but preferably I use only two vanes, these being of sufficient size to develop the desired power. p

Other 'objects of thisinvention will appear hereinafter as the description'of the invention proceeds', the novel features and combinations being sety forth in the appendant claims.-

In the drawings:

4Fig. 1 is an elevational view of an apparatus embodying my invention, the supporting structure being shown in central vertical section.

Fig. 2 is a view partly in section of the propelling unit of 'my invention, parts being broken away for the sake of clearness.

Fig. 3 is a view looking at Fig. 2 from the bottom thereof, parts being shown in section for the sake of clearness.

Fig. 4C is a section taken substantiallyalong the line 4 4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the angular adjustment which is given to each of the vanes.

Fig. 6 is a section taken on the line 6- of Fig. 1, and,

Figs. 7 and 8 are views showing a modified arrangement lor rotating the vanes under the f action of centrifugal force.

Referring now particularly to Figs. 1 and 6 it will be noted thatJ the supporting struc; 73'

ture comprises a plurality of steel uprights 1 of angular section arranged substantially in the form of a pyramid and braced by any suitable number or arrangement'of braces 2, the, upper ends being secured to a bearing member 3 in which the shaft A is rotatably 1nounted. The lower end of the shaft l is connected to a generator 6 supported on a platform? carried by the braces 2.

A platform, or catwalk, 8 surrounds the 80 frame structure near the top thereof-andfis supported by means of suitable braces 9. A ladder 10 may be secured to the frame by means of suitable rivets 11, or the like.

At the top of the frame there is a support 85 12 in the form of an annulus braced bymeans of the braces 13. A track 14 is mounted on the support 12'and secured thereto in any suitable manner. A housing 15, having a lower bearing flange 16, is rotatably' sup- 9i] ported upon the flange 17 formed on the up= per part of the bearing 3, the anti-friction bearings 1S being interposed between the flanges 16 and 17 as clearly illustrated in Fig.

1. VThe housing 15 has the tubular extensions 95 19 and 2O extending in opposite directions away from the central portion of the housing and I secure the split bracket members 21 to each of these tubular extensions. These split bracket members 21`each carry a hanger 23 on which are mounted the anti-friction rollers 24 and 25, the former engaging the track 14 and the latter engaging a metal strip 26 on the lower side of the platform. rEhe rollers 24 and 25, together with track 14 and metal strip 26 serve to stabilize the movements of the housing 15 and prevent twisting movement thereof as it is quite necessary that the housing turn freely and yet be so mounted as to prevent any tilting thereof, otherwise the gears hereinafter to be described will not mesh properly and are apt to be noisy and induce a great amount of friction.

Rotatably mounted within suitable bearings in the housing extension 2O is a rotatable shaft 27, and this shaft carries a bevel gear 28 meshing with a bevel gear 29 secu-.red to the upper end of the shaft so that rotation of the shaft 27 will drive the shaft 4. rEhe extension 19 is provided with a rigid vane 20 which is adapted to hold trie adjustable vanes, or the propelling vanes, with their surfaces facing into the wind.

On the forward end of the shaft 2 is mounted a cylindrical housing 39 which is rigidly secured to the shaft 27 in the manner best illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. rlChis means comprises a pin 31 which passes through the boss 32 and through an opening in the shaft 27 rlhe forward side of the cylindrical housing is covered by a plate 33 secured thereto by means of the machine screws 34, or the like, it being understood, of course, that any means may be provided for locking the machine screws in place. rlChe plate 33 also has a boss and the shaft extends through a bearing in this boss but is not necessarily secured therein as it is desirable to remove the plate 33 when it is desired to inspect the interior of housing 30.

The housing 30 has outwardly extending tubular members 36 on opposite sides thereof, and while I have shown these members as being integral with the housing they may be formed separately and secured thereto by rivets, or the like. Rotatably mounted wit in the tubular extensions 36 are tubular shafts 37 which support the vanes It will be noted from an inspection of Figs. 2, 3 and 5 that the shafts 37 extend through the vane and are entirely enclosed therein, thereby cutting down the resistance to the movement of the wind over the surfaces of the vanes. Y Since the mounting for each vane is the same I will proceed to describe the mounting for only one of the vanes.

In order to permit free rotational movement of the shafts 37 within tubular extensions 36 I interpose bell bearings 39 therebetween as bestillustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. Provision must also be made for preventing outward movement of the tubular shafts under the action of centrifugal force. In order to do this I screw-thread one race 40 of 'a thrust bearing into the inner end of the tubular portion 36 and screw-thread the other race 41 to the end of the tubular shaft 37 the latter being locked in place by means of the lock nut 42, or by any other suitable means. s an additional precaution the nut 42 may be provided with a Cotter pin adapted to pass through a suitable opening in the tubular shaft 37. Ball bearings 43 are interposed between races 40 and 41. By this arrangement while the vanes are permitted to have free rotational movement about the axes of the shafts 37 they are prevented from outward movement by means of the thrust bearing 40-41-42.

I will now proceed to describe the mechanism for rotating the hollow shafts 37 relatively to the tubular extensions 36. This means is best illustrated in Figs. 2, 3 and 4. A bevel gear 44 is secured to each of the tubular extensions 36 by means of the cap screws 45. A shaft 46 is journalled in the hollow tubular shaft 37, the axis of the shaft 46 being at substantially right angles to the axis of the hollow tubular shaft 37. A bevel gear 47 meshes with the bevel gear 44. A collar 48 on the end of the shaft 46 is used to prevent longitudinal movement of the shaft in one direction and the hub of the bevel gear 47 is used to prevent longitudinal movement of the shaft 46 in the opposite direction.

Secured to the shaft 46 within the tubular shaft 37 is a spur gear 49 which meshes with a rack 50. The opposite ends of the rack 50 carry the spacing blocks 51 fastened thereto by means of the bolts 52 and guide members 53 are secured to the spacing blocks 51 on the side of the shaft 46 away from the rack 50 by meansof the cap screws 54. The guide bars 53 lie on opposite sides of the gear 49 and as best illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 abut against the end portions of the gear 49 so that the rack and guide members are guided for longitudinal movement only and there is very little lateral movement thereof, it being understood, of course, that it is necessary to have a small amount of play between the ends of the gear 49 and the guide bars 53 in order to prevent binding.

To one of the spacing blocks 51 I pivot a weight W by means of the bolt 55 passing through spaced lugs 56 on the weight and a lug 57 on the spacing block 51. The weight is substantially of the same cross section as the inside of the tubular shaft 37 and acts as a guide for one end of th-e rack 50 to prevent rotative movement of the rack about the shaft 46 and the gear 49.

A spring 58 secured to an eye-bolt 59 and to a ring 60 which surrounds the shaft 27 is used for the purpose of drawing the rack and weight inwardly towards the shaft 27. The eye-bolt may be adjusted to vary the tension of spring 5S by turning the adjusting 111113.59 1`-otatableA onthethreadedpartiof the It will-be understood,of eourse, thatthe rack `-rnay be mounted for longitudinal `movement inthe 'tubular `shaft 37' iniany other desired manner as its function is merely to rotate the gear 49" as' the weight W moves ra dially fr'onr'th'e shaft 27. `It `.will be noted fronraninspection of Figs. 2 and 3 .thattlre lweights jIV'a-reada'pted-to travel within the vanes 38.- This i'slnot anecessary arrangenrentibut' economize's'on spaceand 'reduces the Wind resistance which might be oered by :the shafts 37 if the same .were arranged Furthermore, by having the `weights arranged linteriorly of the shafts 37 these weightswll not increase the resistance which is oifered to the rotat-ionfof the propelling. meansy for the windmill.

The operation of my device is7 as follows: Let .us lass'ume that 1n Fig. l the wind is coniing'fr'om the right and the leading por tion 161 ofthe `vane is arranged away from Athe xobserver while the trailing portion 62 is arrangedclosest to the observer.

In 1F 2 the leading `portion'Gl lis closest to' the `observer and the trailing portion- `62 is farthestaway from the observer, the angle rof linclination .being `substantially that shown in- Fig. 5 by the' full lines yat 63.

llhewirldV strikes the vanes at say l0 miles per hour.;4 slides off the vanes or Vis deflected, thereby'.settingr up a reaction which in the `embodimentshown causes the propelling unit toirot'a'te IinE a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 2. This sets up a centrifugal force whicl-if acts on the weights I/V causing thel sanae tolnove'outwardly against the action of actually moveV outwardly away 7thesprings 58'. At first the centrifugal force may only be sufficient to tension the springs without` stretching the same, and as a result the racks50 will not be moved' an appreciable amount. However, as soon as the weights W from the sha-f1'I 27 movement is imparte-d to the rack 50, and this causes the shaft 46 to rotate in a clockwise-direction as viewed in Fig. 3 or in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 2.

` Of course, the gear 47 also rotates in the same directionas` the .gear 49. Since the tubular extensions 36 prevent rotation of the gears 44 .the gears 47 necessarily must roll on the gears 44 when the gears 47 are actuated by means of the. rack and gear connection 504449'. The rolling of the gears 47 on the gears 44 causes the tubular shafts 37, and con` sequently the' vanes 38', to rotate in a clockwise direction as viewedfrom the ends ofthe vanes which are farthest away from the shaft 27 and as illustrated in Fig. 5. Since the wind-is' coming` from the right in Fig.4 5' it" will be noted tliat'the` rotation of the'vanes inl the direction justv described will cause less working` area ofthe vanes tobe presented to unit decreases.

the wind,- th'ereb-y decreasing theN rotativereffeet 'which the Wind has oir-the ipropellingy unit.`

Off' course; the .springs 58l are constantly re;

.- sisting the outwardm-'ovementeof thefweights.

W and tend to draw the weights inwardl- "new soon as the speed of rotation oflthefpropeliig In other Words;V iffthef 'Wind should increasein velocity there would be7 al tendency to'vspeed' the-*rotation of `thel propelling LunitV "which" naturally increases `tln'slli4 centrifugalforceV which acts cn. the weights;

act on the weights in different directions tend '90,.

to compensate at allltimesfor variations .in wind velocity, thereby giving a substantiallyA constant `speed ofy rotation to the propelling unitzandfas a result'to the generator ihrough the operative `connections .previously de-i scribed.

There is alsol `some rotative' .effect given* -to` the vanes perhaps by means of the wind opere" ating on unequal areas of the vanesvonzoppcsite sides of the aXesof rotation of the-shafts 1 37, but this force is not Vgreatas compared with the centrifugal force which a'ct-sto row tate the vanes through the gearing which has' been described.

In vFigf I have shown the vaneA inits ex# treme positions: by dotted lines at64wand 6531 the `former being the extreme position ,under no'load and the' latter beingtheieXtreme posi# i tion under a maximum load,l although;` of j course, theseA limits may be varied lto lsuittheV requirements of aparticular windmill. If" desired, stops may be provided for limi-ting.` rotative movement of the vanes.

In Figs. 7 and 8 I have illustrated a modi-A fied arrangement for rotating the vanes about their aXes of rotation. In this modification the same reference numerals referto similar lrack 50.

In this modification, however, I provide an extension 664 for the rack 50, and this extension has the spiral teeth 67 formed thereon.

l These spiral teeth mesh With the spiral teeth 68 on ashaft 69 rotatably mounted in a bearing secured by means of the bolts 71 to the tube 37 upon Which the vane 6l is mounted. I have VshoWn the shaft 69 mounted in the bearing 70 by means of the anti-friction balls 72, but it is to be understood that any other form of bearing may be used if desired. Since the Worm, and rack Which meshes With the Worm, is only a special forni of spiral tooth arrangement it Will, of course, be readily recognized that the spiral gear 68 may be a Worm and the rack 67 may have the corresponding necessary teeth to mesh With the Worm Which Would be substituted for the spiral gear 68.

A bevel gear 73 is secured to the opposite end of the shaft 69 and meshes With a bevel gear 74 secured to a shaft 75 journaled Within suitable bearings 76 formed on the interior of the tube 37. I also secure a sprocket 77 to the shaft 75 so that When the gear 74 rotates the sprocket 77 must also rotate there- With.

As inthe modification shoWn in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive I use a Weight slidable Within tube 37 and this Weight I Will refer to as IV. An eye-bolt 78 passes through the Weight IV and is held in place thereon by means of the nut 79 or by any other suitable means. In fact, the eye-part of the bolt may be formed as an integral part of the Weight. A bracket 80, secured to the side of the tube 37, has a second eye-bolt 8l Which passes therethrough and a Wing-nut 82 is threaded on the end of the eye-bolt so as to adjust the position of the eye-bolt in the bearing 80. A spring 83 is secured to the eye-bolt 8l and is also connectedto a chain 84 Which passes over the sprocket 77 and is connectedat its other end to the eye-bolt 78 as is clearly illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8. It Will be seen from an inspection of Fig. 8 that by adjusting the Wingnut 82 the position of the Weight W is altered. Vith this arrangement I can change the effect of the centrifugalforce upon the Weight IV and consequently on the vanes 61 Which are carried by the tube 37.

The operation of this device is as follows: As soon as the vanes begin to rotate about the axis 27 centrifugal force begins to act upon the Weights W. As soon as the centrifugal force is great enough the Weight begins to move outwardly from the axis of rotation of the shaft 27 and this movement of the Weight WV carries the chain 84 along therewith` and since the shaft cannot move along the tube 37 the sprocket 77 Will rotate. This action is resisted by the spring 83. Rotation of the shaft 75 causes the shaft 69 to rotate through the intermediary of the gears 73 and 74.

NOW the rotation of the shaft 69 Will rotate the spiral gear 68, and the rack 67 and also the rack 50, Will move longitudinally of the tubular shaft 37 the same as in the modiication shown in Figs. l to 6 inclusive. The motion of the rack 50 is imparted to the gear 49 Which in turn rotates the vane through the intermediary of the gears 47 and 44.

The advantage of this arrangement over What is shown in Figs. l to 6 inclusive is that theV Wind pressure on the vanes Will not cause the vanes to rotate, for in order to have the Wind rotate the vanes it is necessary that the gear 47 roll over the gear 44, but this is not possible With the arrangement shoWn in these figures in vieW of the fact that the rolling of gear 47 over the teeth of gear 44 Will cause the shaft 46 and gear 49 to rotate about their axes and tend to move the racks 50 and 67 longitudinally of the tube 37. But it is not possible to move the rack 50 in this manner because of the spiral rack 67 and gear 68, these forming an irreversible gearing Which permits motion to be imparted to the rack 67 by the Weight but Which Will not permit rotation of the gear 68 When a force is applied to the rack 50. In other Words, the mechanism shoWn in Figs. 7 and 8 provide an irreversible driving mechanism for rotating the vanes by centrifugal force but preventing rotation of the vanes purely by action of the Wind.

Other advantages of this arrangement are that the movement of the rack need only be relatively small and the Weight is correspondingly small, and yet the sensitiveness of the entire arrangement is more than With the arrangement shoWn in Figs. l to 6 inclusive. There is a gain in poWer due to the mechanical advantage of the spiral gear arrangement and it is only necessary to provide a relatively small spring as compared to the size of the spring necessary With the arrangement shoWn in Figs. l to 6 inclusive.

In practice it has been found that the entire mechanism, With the exception of the chain and Weight, can be housed in a space approximately 7 x 4. The chain and Weight move Within that portion of the tube Which is Within the vane although it Will be readily understood that this is not a necessary arrangement.

With the arrangement shown in Figs. 7 and 8 it is unnecessary to use springs such as the spring 58 shoWn in Figs. 2 and 3. In fact, the movement of the rack 50 With this arrangement is just the opposite to that used in the arrangement illustrated in Figs. l to 6 inclusive.

In order to stablize the movel ment of the racks 50 and 67 and hold the -V rack 67 in engagement with the gear 68 I provide a bearing guide 85 which engages the three sides of the rack 67 other than the side upon which the teeth are formed.

With the arrangement shown in Figs. 7 and 8 it will be understood that the arrangement is such that the weight W will rotatel the vanes out of the wind, that is, present less working area to the wind, when the centrifugal force is increased.

Obviously, in Figs. 7 and 8 the eye-bolt 78 may be made adjustable instead of the eyebolt 81. This arrangement would permit adjustment of the chain 84 after an installation had been made, since the nut 79 on the eyebolt 78 could be reached by suitable tools inserted through the open end of the tube. This tube may be provided with a dust cap, however. to prevent the accumulation of foreign matter within the samev Vith the adjustable arrangement shown in Figs. 7 and 8 the adjustment may be accomplished by means of suitable connections to the wingnut 82 from the exterior Vof the'tube 37 or the vane 61. An opening in the tube and vane which could be quickly clos-ed by a cap or other closure might be provi-ded in the vane and tube adjacent to the wing-nut 82 to permit manual operation of the wing-nut.

Obviously those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains may make various changes in the construction and the arrangement of parts without depart-ing from the scope of the invention, and, therefore, I do not wish to limit myself except as pointed out in the appended claims.

Having thus fully described an embodyment of my invention what I desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. In a windmill, the combination with a hub structure having laterally extending bearings, rotatable hollow* shafts mounted in said bearings, weights arranged within said shafts and slidable outwardly under the action of centrifugal force, gears rigidly secured to said laterally extending bearings, stub shafts extending transversely through said hollowT shafts and having the gears thereon meshing with said gears on said laterally extending bearings, racks connected to said weights and actuated thereby as said weights move outwardly within said shafts, and gears on said stub shafts meshing with said racks, the movement of said weights outwardly within sai-d hollow shafts cau-sing the movement of said racks and the rotation of the stub shafts whereby the hollow shafts are rotated in said laterally extending bearings.

2. A device as claimed in claim l in which. means is provi-ded for resisting outward movement of said racks under the influence of said weights.

8. In a windmill, the combination with a hub having outwardly extending tubular members thereon, a gear secured to each of said tubular members, iollow shafts, 'one rotatable in each of said hollow tubular members, stub shafts extending through each yof said hollow shafts transversely thereof, each of said Stub shafts having a gear thereonl meshingwith said gear secured to said tubular members, racks slidable longitudinally in each of said hollow shafts, weights attached to said racks for causing said racks tojmove outwardly under the action of centrifugal force, and gears secured to said stub shafts and meshing with said racks for causing rotation of said stub shafts when said racks move outwardly under the action of centrifugal force, whereby said hollow'shafts are rotated within` said tubular members.

4. In a windmill, the combination with a hub, a hollow extension on saidhub extending substantially transversely to the axis `of rotation of said hub, a hollow, shaft jou-rnailed in said hollow extension, a gear secured to said hollow extension, a gear meshing with said first gear and rotatably mounted on said hollow shaft about an axis transverse to the axis of rotation of said hollow" shaft, a rack for rotating said second gear, a weight movable within said hollow shaft, and irreversible gearing connecting said weight and said rack for causing said rack Ato `be moved as said weight moves outwardly within said hollow shaft for preventing the grotation of said blade under the action of the wind upon the surface of the blade.

5.-"In a windmill, the combination with a hub, a hollow extension on said hub extending substantially transversely to the axis of rotation of-said hub, a hollow vshaft journraled in said hollow extension, a gear secured to said hollow extension, a gear meshing with said first gear and rotatably mounted on said hollowshaft about an axis transverse to the axis of rotation of said hollow shaft, a rack for rotating said second gear, a weight movable within said hollow shaft, and irreversible gearing connecting saidl weight and said rack for causing said `rack to be moved as said weight moves outwardly within said hollow shaft for preventing the rotation of said blade under the action` of the wind upon the surface of the bladesaid flexible element is trained, and reduction* gears rotated by said sprocket and flexible element.

'.7.' A windmill comprising a hollow rotatable vane carrying shaft, a windmill vane carried by said shaft, a rotatable support for supporting said shaft, a weight slidable longitudinally in said shaft under the action of centrifugal force, gearing for rotating said shaft about its axis including irreversible driving mechanism, a iiexible element connecting said irreversible driving mechanism to said weight, and means for resisting outward movement of said weight under the influence of centrifugal force.

8. A windmill comprising a hub, a tubular member extending transversely to the axis of rotation of said hub, a hollow shaft rotatably mounted in said tubular member, a gear rotatable on said hollow shaft, a gear secured to said hub meshing with said first mentioned gear, a rack slidably mounted in said hollow shaft for actuating said first gear, a weight slidable in said hollow shaft under the influence of centrifugal force, a

flexible element connected to said weight and actuated thereby, and means driven by said flexible element for actuating said rack including irreversible driving mechanism which prevents the rotation of said hollow shaft within said tubular member except under the inuence of said weight as it moves longitudinally within said hollow shaft.

9. In a windmill, the combination with a tubular member,I a hollow shaft rotatably mounted in said tubular member, a stub shaft rotatably mounted in bearings in said hollow shaft and arranged transversely to the axis of rotation of said hollow shaft, one end of said stub shaft extending outside of said hollow shaft, a gear on said end of said stub shaft, a gear on said tubular member meshing with said first gear, a rack slidable within said hollow shaft, a gear on said stub shaft meshing with said rack, movement of said rack causing the rotation of said hollow shaft within said tubular Inember,'a worm, and a coaoperating rack for actuating said first mentioned rack, bevel gears for driving said worm, a weight slidable in said hollow shaft, and a chain and sprocket connection between said weight and bevel gears for actuating the same as the weight moves longitudinally of said hollow shaft, said weight being movable outwardly under the action of centrifugal force as said hub is rotated.

In testimony whereof I have signed my Y name to this specication on this 29th day of October, A. D. 1930.

l JOI-IN J. BUCHSER. 

